Cellular communication networks operate with and have cell phone devices, sometimes called handsets, cell towers, base stations, mobile switching center (MSC), with access to home location record (HLR) database that maintain subscriber data including their present location by a geographic cell number. The handsets communicate to the network via the cell towers on control and data channels. Networks detect registration-request (R-R) signals on the control channel from the handset and record in the HLR database the presence of the handset in the cell the handset sent the R-R signal from.
The operation of cellular network depends on knowing the general location of the handset in a group of cells to page the handset in those contiguous cell areas and route a call to the given cell area from which the handset responds to the page. That general location of the handset in the HLR database requires the MSC to page a handset in multiple cells based on last known area.
Cellular networks rely on a technique known as triangulation based on signal strength from the handset at a minimum of three different cell towers. The measured received signal strength is used for computing a location of the handset in the cell space using a triangulation algorithm. This approach of triangulation to determine the physical location of the handset within a cell space is used for both battery management in the handset and also used for 911 emergency calls to provide a location of the handset to the emergency responders as required by a 911 federal mandate.
Almost all handsets now come equipped with and have GPS functionality. Many commercial enterprises have figured out ways to use the GPS functionality in the handsets for marketing purposes. It is believed that the same GPS functionality in handsets may be used in a number of different ways to improve the operation of the cellular communication networks.
Hence, it is an objective of the embodiments herein to provide for systems and methods to improve operation of cellular networks using GPS functionality that is already embedded in the handsets/cell phone devices.